Many sports induce high levels of stress in the various joints of an athlete's feet and legs that may, over time, result in a risk of serious fatigue and injury to one or more joints and/or muscles of the body (e.g., knee and/or cartilage injuries), which can reduce the performance level of the athlete and even make it impossible for them to compete. Example sports include, but are not limited to, track and field events such as running, hurdling, etc., and sports requiring abrupt changes in direction such as soccer, rugby, tennis, squash, racquetball, badminton, football, baseball, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket, and basketball.
Providing appropriate levels of support and cushioning within a sole of the shoe can be highly beneficial in reducing the risk of injury due to overstressing of the foot and/or leg of an athlete during such athletic activity. As a result, shoes are often fitted with support elements to control and reduce the effects of potentially damaging body movements during a gait cycle or cutting motion. For example, support elements are often incorporated into footwear to assist in preventing unwelcome movement of the ankle through over-pronation or over-supination. Pronation is a rotation or turning of the foot from a lateral side (i.e., the outer side) of the foot to a medial side (i.e., the inner side) of the foot. During a standard gait cycle the foot typically contacts the ground at first with the outer (i.e., lateral) part of the heel, after which the ankle rotates towards the medial side as weight is shifted to the midfoot and forefoot portions of the foot prior to pushing-off. Supination is a corresponding turning of the ankle from the medial side to the lateral side of the foot. Over-pronation and over-supination can result in significant stress being placed on the ankle and knee of the athlete. In general, support elements within a shoe to prevent over-pronation/supination involve relatively complicated arrangements of material and support mechanisms that often add significant cost, complexity, and weight to the footwear.
While methods of manufacture to produce more simple and cost effective sole units with stability functionality incorporated therein have been suggested (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,464,428, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), there is still a need for improved sole elements for providing controlled and targeted support and cushioning for an article of footwear without the need for complicated and expensive manufacturing methods and parts.